Artemisinin reduces human melanoma cell migration by down-regulating alpha V beta 3 integrin and reducing metalloproteinase 2 production.
Artemisinin and its derivatives are well known antimalarial drugs, particularly useful after resistance to traditional antimalarial pharmaceuticals has started to occur in Plasmodium falciparum. In recent years, anticancer activity of artemisinin has been reported both in vitro and in vivo. Artemisinin has inhibitory effects on cancer cell growth and anti-angiogenetic activity. In the present investigation, we analyzed the inhibitory effects of artemisinin on migratory ability of melanoma cell lines (A375P and A375M, low and medium metastatic properties, respectively). We demonstrate that artemisinin induces cell growth arrest in A375M, and affects A375P cells viability with cytotoxic and growth inhibitory effects, while it was not effective in contrasting proliferation of other tumor cell lines (MCF7 and MKN). In addition, artemisinin affected the migratory ability of A375M cells by reducing metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) production and down-regulating alpha v beta 3 integrin expression. These findings introduce a potential of artemisinin as a chemotherapeutic agent in melanoma treatment.
Buommino
Elisabetta
E
Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Second University of Naples (SUN), Naples, via Luigi de Crecchio, 80138, Naples, Italy.
Baroni
Adone
A
Canozo
Nunzia
N
Petrazzuolo
Marcella
M
Nicoletti
Rosario
R
Vozza
Antonio
A
Tufano
Maria Antonietta
MA
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019306:Artemisia / Q000737:chemistry; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D039302:Integrin alphaVbeta3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D037621:Artemisinins; D039302:Integrin alphaVbeta3; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C031327:artemisinin; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2